Shopify lets more AI agents shop and check out from its catalog

In short: Shopify says shoppers will be able to connect an AI agent to Shop so the agent can browse Shopify’s catalog and help buy products, with the shopper approving each purchase.

What happened

Shopify announced Tuesday that it will open up its product catalog to more AI agents. An AI agent is a helper bot that can do tasks for you, like a personal assistant that can search and fill out forms.

Shopify says shoppers can “configure” their agent to shop on their behalf. That means you can set rules for what the agent is allowed to show or do, like a budget limit or only picking items with fast shipping.

The change gives more agents access to Shopify’s catalog of over a billion listings. Shopify says the catalog includes items that are both on Shopify stores and outside of Shopify storefronts.

To use the feature, customers connect an agent to their account on Shop, Shopify’s app for keeping orders in one place, tracking packages, and getting product recommendations. Checkout uses Shop Pay, and Shopify says it can happen inside the chat with the agent. Orders made through the agent are sent back to the Shop app.

Shopify previously announced a partnership with Meta so Meta’s Muse agent could browse and buy items for a shopper. With this update, Shopify says shoppers can use other agents too, without needing a special partnership.

Why it matters

This makes “shopping by chat” more practical, but it also raises new trust questions. Shopify says buyers still have to approve each purchase, which is like a safety check before the assistant taps your card.

Source: The Verge AI